Undertow
by DearSweetPapercut
Summary: "As he stepped off the bed his entire body shaking with the simple effort of breathing he honestly expected her to move- to pull the pillow away from her face and give him the half smile that made him weak at the knees. But that didn't happen. Her pale skin bruised by the way he had handled her remained tangled with the sheets, the pillow remained over her face. He'd killed her."
1. Chapter 1

This was a late night idea that I felt I had to write.

So do you think Greg's really killed Sara? Review- let me know.

Disclaimer: I own zilch.

**Undertow **

**(1) **

She struggled against his grip as he firmly pressed her wrists against the mattress the feeling of her pulse beating against his palm. It was wrong. He knew that but the feeling of her skin against his said otherwise. She did her best to deter him thrashing her legs against the mattress, her body in a frenzy which only seemed to encourage him.

"Greg...please" She pleaded with him, using his name to reason with him but it didn't work.

A burning sensation made itself known in the pit of his stomach as he roughly pushed into her. This was it. It was what he had been waiting for, all he had spent planning, the thing that had consumed to the back of his mind at every corner.

Her body ceased to move, all of her struggling melting into defeat as her dark eyes focused on the clock ticking away on the wall beyond them. Her pale skin gleaming in the poor overhead lights, the freckles that dusted her shoulders and her chest close enough for him to touch.

The sound of his ragged breaths collided with every passing second in the dense air as the desert heat swept through the room. His over exerted body collapsed as he let go but all she did was flinch a tear stinging her eye as she remained unmoving. It was as he studied her that it finally sunk in what he had done. It was as if the world had suddenly collapsed around his feet.

"I'm sorry" The words sounded foreign on his tongue as he attempted to provoke a reaction from her. "Sara I'm so sorry..."

There was nothing, she refused to face him, to look him in the eye and he knew he needed to do something. His life seemed to flash before his eyes as he imagined being caught and sent to prison. He needed to fix what he had done because if she walked out of there- it would be all over.

Swiftly straddling her he was once again faced her empty gaze as she tried to unravel his actions. The pillow seemed to suddenly appear between in hands and before he could stop himself it had been firmly placed over her face.

It took longer than he had expected it to. She fought a lot harder than he had expected her to finger nails clawing at his arms, her entire body arching hoping to unsteady him as her feet struggled for some leverage.

But it all stopped.

As he stepped off the bed his entire body shaking with the simple effort of breathing he honestly expected her to move- to pull the pillow away from her face and give him the half smile that made him weak at the knees. But that didn't happen. Her pale skin bruised by the way he had handled her remained tangled with the sheets, the pillow remained over her face.

He'd killed her.

Fear suddenly filled his system, replacing the exhaustion with pure adrenaline as his brain caught up with his actions. He stood at the foot of the bed, the moonlight from the window casting his ominous shadow over her still form. He had to do something, he knew that. He had enough experience in the field to know how easy it would be to work out just what had happened here, but he also had enough experience to be able to manipulate the evidence properly.

Greg lifted the pillow away from her face, studying the body for a few moments before lifting her into his arms and placing her on the cold wood floor. He stripped the bed of the sheets and removed the pillow case knowing that checking for seamen would be one of the first things they would do if she was found dead in her bed. And there was the blood. The proof he'd raped her running in scarlet across the patterns of the mattress and in the marks on her body.

He wiped down all the furniture in the bedroom that held his prints, carefully cleaning every inch knowing that a slight hint would raise suspicion. He collected her torn clothes and the beads from the necklace that had broken in their struggle. He packed all the things he had collected into a bin bag tossing it into the boot of his car. The only thing now was the body.

Greg took a deep breath casting his eye over the empty street before returning to the house picking Sara's body up into his arms once again. He put her down in the boot amongst all the other things, taking a moment to study her naked body before he slammed the door closed.

He hadn't wanted to hurt her. It had never been his intention but he hadn't been able to control it- the pressing need that he had suppressed for all of those years had come to light. It had presented itself in a way he had never wanted it to.

It was as if all of the noise at the back of his mind had stopped.

It was done.


	2. Chapter 2

I hope you all enjoy this- please review let me know if you want more!

**Undertow **

**(2) **

The sun seemed to prickle his skin as the light changed in the air, dust glittering as it fell to the ground moving weightlessly in space surrounding him. He pulled his exhausted body up attempting to face the day as it refused to stop. The night before appeared in his mind like fragmented glass as the pain behind his eyes reaching excruciating levels. His shaking fingers grasped the pill bottle on the night stand, the tablets rattling inside of the battle. It was only slight, but the noise seemed to fill his head, thundering through his system. The pill went down like sand paper the water in the glass tasted stale but he didn't care- it would have to do.

It would all help him to feel better- it would help him to get out of his head- think through what he had done, and what had happened from a clearer place. He had been suffering from headaches from so long that the aching in behind his eyes was a constant companion. The pain blinding him to reality and it was as if he drifted through his days in a dream.

In that moment he became aware of every fibre around him- forcing his mind to focus on one thing; the night before. When he closed his eyes and focused hard enough he could still hear the final breaths she had taken distilling through the air till it met its final resting place. As he glanced down at his hands he was expecting for them to be different- after all they had killed someone; they had killed a woman he claimed to love.

Perhaps it had just been a dream- a nightmare- something his subconscious had conjured up to taunt to him about the feelings of resent he had found himself faced with whenever they were together. After all of these years she still was oblivious to his advances, to his feelings for her and it was staring to wear thing. Maybe all of the feelings he had tried his best to suppress had appeared in a fantasy his mind had created.

With a deep breath he revelled in the feeling of calm that flooded over him as the painkillers sunk in, taking effect quickly numbing his body to feeling. There was an easy way to find out what really had happened the night before. Greg lifted his phone up scrolling to Sara's number with a sigh attempting to figure out whether he really wanted to know what he had done. He hit the button, the dial tone ringing in his ear waiting for her to answer but instead her answer machine message resounded.

"Hi Sara, its Greg, can you call me back when you get this message" He ended the call pausing to think of reasons why she wouldn't have answered. Maybe she as asleep, or her phone was on silent, and she hadn't heard it.

Or she couldn't answer her phone because she was dead.

Greg pulled himself up realising that it would be suspicious if he didn't go to work. People would be turning to him to find out what had happened to Sara. They would wonder why they had both disappeared at the same time and only one of them had reappeared. The guilt caused a lump to build up in his throat but he realised that all there was left to do now was to save himself- it was too late for Sara. He had covered all of the bases, taken all of the evidence that would have pointed to him.

As the hot water cascaded over his body he attempted to imagine what would happened if they had found him out. How all of his friends would have look at him if they knew what he had done. Sara was after all one of them. It had been a mistake. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. He hadn't intended to kill her. Greg had listened to the pleadings of the guilty enough times to know how it would sound if they found out. But he was being honest. What he had done was different.

As he stood in his drive studying his car he was convinced there was some kind of mark upon it, something that would give him away. Opening the boot he checked for stray hairs, scraps of the bin liners he had used to move the evidence but there was nothing. It was clean. With a wary sigh he climbed into the driver side attempting to prepare himself for all of the interaction that was to come.

The lab was filled with a steady buzz but Greg kept his eyes on the floor as he made his way to the break room wanting nothing more than to blend into the background. He carefully cast his eyes over the furniture hoping to find Sara reading, drinking coffee or chatting to someone around him but instead there was no one.

"Hey Greg- have you seen Sara?" The mention of her name in Nick's Southern drawl made his heart stop for a moment as his mind scrambled for an answer to such a simple question. He had learnt a thing or two about lying while doing this job- include detail, but not too much, be confident in what you're saying and look the other person in the eye if you can.

"No" Greg turned to face Nick stating with a shrug. He hoped that his friend hadn't noticed his delayed reaction and the way his voice had faltered for a second. Nick simply just nodded disappearing into the hall way once again leaving him alone. Greg retrieved his phone from his pocket once again calling Sara's number but still she didn't answer.

As he watched the people passing by the room caught up in their everyday lives the world seemed to spin faster than it had done before. He could see Hodges and Morgan talking in the hall, the other lab techs working or procrastinating- every bit of work they did there to reveal all of the horrible things people had done to each somewhere in his dusty hell of a city and there he stood.

He'd killed someone he loved. And instead of doing the right thing and stepping up he was covering it up like the people he put away would do. Didn't the pride himself to be better than that?

Didn't Sara deserve better than that?

With a deep breath Greg made his way to the precinct finding Brass sitting behind his desk his eyes focused on paperwork. He nervously cleared his throat making his presence known as he moved towards the older man.

"What can I help you with Greg?" Brass asked looking up from the file placed across his desk.

"I need to make a confession" He said breathlessly.

"Go ahead" The detective smiled humouring him.

"I killed Sara..." Greg paused before restating the truth in a louder voice. "I murdered her..."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm being forced to go a boring engagement party and I wanted to update before I left just in case I didn't have time later. I hope you all enjoy it –please review – let me know what you think.

**Undertow**

**(3) **

Greg took a sip of the water that had been given to him but still his mouth remained dry. He met eyes with Brass who was sitting across from him- his hands clasped together against the surface of the table a puzzled lock across his face.

"So Greg, talk me through what happened..." He asked attempting to remain calm.

"I...I was at Sara's and I don't know what happened, I just, I snapped...and I attacked her" Greg replied shrugging attempting to figure out why he couldn't feel anything in that moment. He had expected something to fill his chest in that moment but there was nothing- his body had become numb.

"What do you mean?" Brass cast a quick glance behind him towards the reflective glass that divided the interrogation room the observation room. He knew that Russell and Nick were on the other side watching every move Greg was making using all of the experience they had to figure out whether the things he was telling them were true.

"I...I raped her" He recalled the empty look in her eyes, the small sounds of protest that had escaped her lips as he broke her down. She had attempted to remove herself from the situation- she had looked anywhere but at him.

"Why did you do that?" Brass asked in a measured tone trying not to let the anger that was boiling beneath the surface of his skin into the atmosphere.

"I don't really know..." Greg met his eye. "I guess I was fed up with her always ignoring me"

"You think she ignores you?" It seemed like an odd question to ask since they had been friends for so long; it was almost common knowledge that they were closer than the others. Sara's leaving had seemed to hit Greg harder than the rest of the team.

"She never saw me, not really... I was just... there... and I couldn't take it anymore, so I just did... it." Greg glanced around the room.

"What happened after that?" Brass realised that he needed to keep Greg talking until they had some news on Sara.

"I said sorry..." He took a deep breath. "But I knew, if I just left she would report it. And I panicked... I suffocated her. I bagged everything up; the sheets, her clothes. I cleaned the room, wiped down all the surfaces and put everything else in the boot of my car"

"What did you do with her body?" The air in the seemed to still in that moment as they waited to hear what Greg would say next.

"I drove out to Lake Mead and..." He pressed his eyes closed recalling the fine detail of the night before. He had stood on the jetty Sara's lifeless body cradled in his arms as he cast his eyes over the landscape that surrounded them. There was no one else within sight but still he found himself feeling as if he was being watched. "I threw her into the water. I put some rocks and things inside the bag of evidence to weigh it down and I threw that in there afterwards."

"We are going to search every inch of Sara's house, your car and that lake and we when we find the evidence we are going to make sure you get nothing less than the death penalty" Brass spat the words across the table the spite impossible to deny as he pulled himself to the feet. He cast one last glance at Greg before he left the room the feeling of the air being sucked out of his lungs leaving a thumping in his head.

"Have you heard anything from Sara?" Brass questioned.

"Not yet...Finn and Morgan have gone to her house" Russell informed him with a sigh.

"You really think Greg could do this?" Nick studied his friend behind the glass. Greg had pressed his head against the table his exhausted body relying on the furniture to hold him up.

"Why would he confess if he hadn't?"

"I don't know" Nick's southern drawl stated. "But I think there is a lot more to this than what he's telling us. Can I talk to him?"

"You know I can't let you do that" Brass shook his head.

"Come on Brass... It's Greg... he's one of us" He pressed on.

"Fine" The older man eventually gave in moving out of the way letting Nick past him.

Greg glanced up as he made his way into the room before pressing his eyes closed once again his fingertips massaging his temple as the shock of another headache settled in. He knew there were more questions he needed to answer and that at some point he would be processed. Every minute seemed to drag out while he waited for the truth to appear and for eventual justice to unfold.

"You feeling alright buddy?" It was a pointless thing to enquire about- it was more than obvious that he was not.

"I just it to be over" Greg declared in a quiet voice picking at his finger nails, his hands feeling oddly anaesthetized as his actions barely registered in his mind.

"I know you do" There was a pause "And it would have been over a lot quicker if you had just called us when it happened"

"And said what?" He gave a short humourless laugh. "Yeah, so I murdered my best friend, I need a little help here"

"Why go through so much effort to hide the body, the evidence and then confess Greg?" It was something everyone had been wondering. He had covered all the bases he had needed to. He had loved and cared for Sara so much that it was unlikely suspicious would have fallen on him first.

"Because Sara deserves more than that... I thought I would be able to live with myself but I can't. I'm not like one of them, I'm better than that. At least I thought I was better than that..." A crushing pain consumed his chest.

"I'll send someone in to process you" He shook his head- he couldn't listen to anymore of what Greg had to say.

As Nick made his way to Brass's office he felt more than ready to create the case against his friend. All of these years he had wondered how someone could do so much to hurt someone they loved and still he realised that he didn't have any answers. There seemed to be no design to Greg's actions, no method to his madness.

"We have to find her body" He announced kicking a chair situated closest to him.

The sound of a faint cough floated in from the door way, the squeak of a shoe as someone moved inside.

"I hear you're all looking for me..." A raspy, familiar voice observed...


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all- I'm on holiday at the moment- but I wanted to update- I hope you all enjoy this, please review let me know! :)

**Undertow**

**(4) **

"Sara" Nick looked at her with raised eyebrows his eyes studying her from head to toe to check that she wasn't hurt. She moved the small suitcase she had with her out of the way and tucked her hands into her pockets.

"So is someone going to explain why I have over 40 missed calls and why I came home to find my house had been ransacked? Finn and Morgan were about to process my bedroom... I'm glad you care but I really don't need CSIs checking out my place every time I go off the grid for a few days..." Sara gave them a causal half smile as she moved towards them. Her laid back stance a juxtaposition to the mood that had filled the room. "Even I go on holiday sometimes"

"You're okay?" Brass asked not being able to mask the concern in his voice. He didn't want to admit it to Nick but he had believed Greg's confession despite how ludicrous it had sounded. He himself knew the anger, and anguish that resulted due to love. And despite never having verbalised it had been clear that Greg's feelings for Sara were far more than just a crush. Brass himself had witnessed the way that Greg looked at her despite knowing she had married someone else- that she had already given her heart away. But now, Sara marriage was over, and still she hadn't taken notice of him as more than a friend.

"A bit sun burnt... but perfectly fine otherwise" She beamed sitting herself down waiting for Nick and Brass to follow suit but they didn't. Sara couldn't ignore the look they shared in that moment- it becoming clear that there was a far bigger problem than her unplanned trip to the beach.

"Have you spoken to Greg recently?" Nick questioned in his thick Southern drawl.

"The day I left... We had lunch...Why? Is Greg okay?" She glanced up at them her eyes wide as the most possible scenario's appeared in the forefront of her mind. The last time she had seen Greg, he had been sitting across the table from her, dark circles beneath his eyes- he had looked exhausted but then again it was what the job did to them.

"He's fine..." Brass cleared his throat. "Well he's not hurt"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sara frowned attempting to understand what was happening from the cryptic conversation they were having.

"Greg came forward earlier, and confessed to murder" The detective told her with a sigh, the explanation quickly prompting Sara to get to her feet. Her look of dismay was only met with exhaustion and confusion from the two men.

"Murder?" They had all known each other so long Sara couldn't imagine what would have resulted in everyone being convinced that was the truth. She could imagine Greg blaming himself for a death caused by an accident. He had been suffering headaches recently, excruciating ones that blurred his vision. The darkness and bright headlights weren't a good combination for him- she knew that much.

"Yours..." Brass cleared his throat. "He told us that he raped you and afterwards he panicked and didn't know what to do, so he smothered you and dumped your body in Lake Mead"

"That's clearly not true...I'm here" Sara gave a humourless laugh finding herself confused. She didn't understand how they could take any of this seriously- it was Greg after all they were talking about.

"Has Greg ever...acted inappropriately with you?" Nick enquired with a shrug.

"No" Sara replied firmly.

"Sara...you don't need to be ashamed... it's not your fault" Brass urged her to confess to something, anything that would make the situation they had found themselves in make sense. They were looking at her as though she was a victim and it was making her skin crawl.

"There is nothing for me to be ashamed about because nothing has ever happened... Greg wouldn't hurt me... he wouldn't hurt anyone..." She stated glaring at them both attempting to unravel their doubt.

"Okay...Okay... Then why would Greg confess to something he didn't do?" Nick interjected knowing that Sara would soon start accusing them of not knowing Greg, not taking his character into account.

"I want to see him" Sara sighed, straightening her back looking at Brass with pursed lips.

"We can't let you do that" He shook his head glancing at Nick before looking back to Sara. But it was clear that she wasn't going to back down. With a deep breath and a wary look Brass finally agreed "Okay, you have five minutes..."

Sara peered in from door watching Greg as he paced- his hands in his pockets, his eyes focused on the ground. He looked like he always did and she realised that she didn't know what to expect. She opened the door stepping inside the room but still he didn't look up or acknowledge her.

"Greg" Her voice appeared in the air as nothing more than a hoarse whisper. She glanced to the glass partition knowing that there were people watching them waiting to find out what had happened to Greg. He looked up at her like a deer caught in the headlights his body visibly shaking as he swallowed the lump that had built up in his throat. Greg inched forward taking a sip from the glass of water before shaking his head as if attempting to rid himself of a thought.

"She's not here" He muttered in a low voice. "She's not really here. She can't be" He was attempting to convince himself.

"Greg I am here" Sara moved towards him not knowing what to do, or how to act. Greg forced himself to look at her as she stood by his side, his hand slowly reaching out by moving away. "Greg" It was the sound of his name that finally made move again, his fingertips gently brushing against her cheek, tracing down to her neck before resting over her pulse as if to check that she wasn't a ghost.

"You're alive" He whispered leaning towards her as if his feet couldn't keep himself standing. Sara nodded attempting to blink away the tears that had formed behind her eyes. She had never imagined how much it would hurt to see Greg like this. Growing up she had witnessed her mother's episodes- the look of confusion and anguish in Greg's eyes seemed to drag her back to being a child again wanting more than anything to understand what was happening.

"Yes...I'm alive..." She muttered back, waiting for him to react. Greg wrapped his arms around her pulling her into an embrace. His arms were wrapped around her so tightly as if holding on to an air supply.

"I've got a headache Sara..." Greg told her, his lips brushing against his ears. "I've got a really bad headache..."


	5. Chapter 5

Heading out but wanted to post this before I left, I hope you all enjoy it! Please review, let me know what you think.

**Undertow **

**(5) **

The tension was thick in the air as the heavy smell of coffee filtered through the break room. Those closest to Greg had gathered hoping for answers as to what was happening to their friend. Sara stood next to Brass, her hands in her back pockets rocking back on her heels as she let the detective talk.

"So we know Greg didn't kill Sara" He said in a low voice his. He paused casting his eyes over the room the silence giving them to figure out what it was he was going to say next. They all waited with baited breath looking to Sara as she scowled at Brass, her eyes burning through him warning them that his attitude was not going be easy to swallow. "But we don't know if he's hurt someone else..."

"He hasn't" Sara announced firmly making sure that her voice was heard by everyone in the room.

"Either way" Russell paused meaningfully meeting Sara's eye letting her know that it was neither the time nor place to start an argument about the possibilities. As criminalists they knew only too well that you couldn't judge a person at face value. Some of the sickest killers they had put away had been able to blend into society as just another face in a crowd. "We need to find out what made Greg walk into work this morning and confess to raping and murdering someone."

"It could be medical" Hodges suggested his hands tucked into his pockets leaning forwards slightly with wide eyes. "A brain trauma... a tumour..." He stated quietly realising the alarm it would cause, a consensus spreading throughout the room that it was a likely possibility.

"Or something psychological" Morgan added. She took a quick breath meeting Sara's eye before looking at Brass. "Or side effect... of some kind of medication... or drug"

"Greg is not a drug addict" Sara shot back looking towards Nick for support but he remained quiet not wanting to discount any of the suggestions. Something was up with their friend and they couldn't just ignore it and hope whatever it was would go away.

"Sara I know you want to see the best in Greg, we're all trying to do the same... but it's something that we have to consider" Russell said, gently touching her shoulder but she visibly flinched away the dark look in her eyes giving away her clear stance. "I think we need to organise a psych evaluation, get a blood test see if there's anything weird in his system, and then take him to the hospital"

"We should take him to the hospital first" Sara growled. "What if he's seriously ill"

"It's only going to take a couple of hours and we'll take him to the hospital" Russell paused meeting her gaze not finding himself intimidated by the hostility she was clearly displaying. She sighed, her shoulders slouching as she evidently gave up realising that it was more important to find out what was wrong with Greg.

She followed Hodges as he made his way to lock up a kit for the blood test in his hand. Hodges shot an irritated glance over his shoulder, shaking his head before looking away. Sara took note of his resistance at accompanying him to see Greg but she did not plan of giving him what he wanted and walking away.

"You know I can do this by myself" Hodges muttered beneath his breath just loud enough for her to hear. "I don't need you to hold my hand"

"Of course you can" She raised her eyebrows. "And don't worry I have no intention of holding any part of you."

"You can't go in there. You know that" He stated firmly, closing the door behind him leaving Sara to look in. Greg refused to meet her eye focusing on the floor as he let Hodges take a blood sample- he looked exhausted, dejected. Shadows of stubble were creeping up his cheek bones, dark circles framing his eyes. There was a slight shake in his hand as he ran his fingers through his hair, light sweat gleaming across his skin. Greg didn't say a word to Hodges watching as the lab tech left, glancing at Sara before looking away.

"You should go home" Russell's voice caught her off guard. Sara turned on her heels attempting to think through what he had suggested it didn't seem right when her best friend was struggling with something he had been trying so desperately to hide from them all until this point.

"I can't" She shook her head. "Not until I know Greg's okay" Russell simply just nodded.

"I've called the departmental psychiatrist- he should be here any moment. He knows how urgent this is" The older man informed her hoping that the information would relax her slightly.

The sound of clicking heels filled the almost silent hall pulling their attention away from Greg. A tall smartly dressed man approached them, a bundle of files in his arms and a grim expression crossing his features.

"Dr Mason" He offered his hand to DB and then Sara in turn not bothering with formalities. "I've heard that this was urgent"

"Yes...Greg Sanders" Russell indicated to holding room Greg was in. "He confessed to a crime he hadn't committed, he's not himself, he's not acting like himself and I, amongst others, would like to know what is going on"

"I can conduct a psych evaluation and give you my initial thoughts" Dr Mason told them. "And we can figure out what is the best thing way to go about treating whatever it is." He silently nodded a goodbye at them opening the door and stepping inside. Greg remained firmly in his place barely registering the presence.

"Hi Greg, I'm Dr Mason, I'm here to ask you some questions" He smiled sitting himself down. "Can you talk me through what happened the other night?"

"Sara, you should get some rest, Greg is going to need you later" Russell urged her to leave once again. She reluctantly glanced into the room knowing that for the moment there was nothing else she could do. All they had at the moment was waiting.

Sara nodded studying Greg once more before making her way towards the break room closely followed by Russell. They glanced in to the DNA lab to see Hodges hovering by Henry as he worked with the blood sample they had collected. She sat herself down on the sofa, lifting the newspaper onto her lap attempting to focus for a moment on something, anything but Greg.

She leant back in her seat, resting her head against the sofa closing her eyes attempting to let all of the feelings of foreboding that were filling her body pass. But despite attempting to push everything out she couldn't help but picture Greg in his current state. The reel of images seemed to fade out into darkness as the exhaustion took over as she drifted off to sleep.

Sara woke with a jerk, her whole body falling forward, her eyes slowly adjusted to the light and the sounds that surrounded her. Russell was standing by the doorway with a sombre expression waiting for her to be fully conscious.

"We know what's wrong with Greg" He announced gravely.


End file.
